Karate, Kung Fu and 47 Other Dangerous Words
by Virgo Writer
Summary: Spy Ashton Satoshi Ketchum has known only one thing most of his life and that was how to be a spy, but now even that lies in jeopardy because he's broken one of the most important rules of all, and it's all her fault. AU AAMRN. HIATUS.
1. Part I

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon. By the way, this story is rated PG-13 for language and stuff, however most of this is outside of the actual fic, therefore if you don't read either the authors note I occasionally put at the beginning or the thing I write at the end you should be ok.

Ages:

Ash – 18

Misty – 17½

Brock – 21

Karate, Kung Fu and Forty-Seven Other Dangerous Words 

(or 'Spy Games')

Part I 

My name is Ashton Satoshi Ketchum, man of mystery and international spy, but for the sake of things just call me Ash. I can't tell you much more than that, I don't want to put others in danger and I've already told you too much. All I can say is that I am part of an organization called Excalibur so secret that not even the government knows it exists.

But that's not really what this is about.

This is about her.

I admit I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, some worse than others, but this is by far the worst of them all.

I fell in love.

I didn't mean to, I didn't plan it, it just happened. I tried not to, I really did, I tried to push myself away from her but ended up pushing myself closer to her, it was futile and I only fell deeper under her spell no matter what I did.

I first got into the spy business when I was twelve, yeah, I know that's a little young to be a secret agent but here I am 6 years later still going strong.

I got into this whole thing by accident, but its no accident that I'm still here. I was trying to avenge my father's death, which had happened five years earlier, when they spotted me trying to get his killers, a large and powerful illegal drug corporation called Team Rocket, and making them pay for what they had done to my family. I know it's not the smartest thing to do but I guess I was young, impetuous and angry.

I was seven years old when I watched two Rockets shoot my father so when I recognized one of them five years later I just couldn't stand back and watch them hurt more innocent people and Pokemon.

I guess that Excalibur liked my style.

Well, it turned out my dad was a spy long before I was born, before he met my mom. He went by just the one name and it's a name that still strikes terror in the hearts of evil today, Cypress. I guess it was kind of my destiny to become a spy and break the very same rule as my father.

Never, under any circumstances, fall in love.

We're the reason that they created that rule.

My dad fell in love with an herbalist from a small seaside town. Delilah Azalea Sage. My dad left the spy industry, took up a regular job and changed his name to Michael Ketchum and for a long time we all just lived happily ever after, but then that didn't last too long and this is no fairy tale.

So I guess it's my turn now to play the hero in the legacy my father left behind.

But then that's not what this story is about either. This is about Misty.

Misty Kasumi Waterflower, the girl that sits across from me as I speak curling a strand of her copper coloured hair around her perfectly manicured index finger. She stifles a yawn doing a much better job of listening then I am. But then she hasn't been in this business quite as long as I have. She hasn't sat at this very same table for six whole years hearing the Rockets unchanging plots.

I pretended to make notes anyway, pretend that I'm not watching her instead, but I am, I always am. I pretend that our four years together as partners has brought nothing but friendship. I pretend not to worry about her when I don't see her and I pretend not to feel my heart breaking in two when she cries. I pretend not to think about her constantly, the clear cerulean green of her eyes, the rose red colour of her lips, the perfect strands of auburn spread through her hair, the smooth touch of her perfect creamy skin, the . . .

"Ash Ketchum!" she cried jarring me from my thoughts. "Did you even hear what I just said?"

"Oh I'm sorry Myst. I was just . . ."

"Daydreaming?" she asked smugly finishing off my sentence.

"I was listening," I argued.

"Really? Then what's out next mission?" she asked smiling ever so sweetly with that permanent glint of mischief in her eyes. God I love her smile.

"To save Pokemon from being mutated, used, abused or just mistreated in general by Team Rocket and hence destroy their latest scheme which chances are is so completely and utterly senseless that it probably would have failed without our help and destroy their latest headquarters while kicking a little Rocket ass just for fun," I rattle off the top of my head in the one breath with very little thought. (A/N: I dare each and every one of you to try that, it is not easy)

She glared at me. Sometimes I wonder what she's thinking about while she's doing that, I mean she can't really want to kill me that much, can she? I wonder what it would be like to be able to read Misty's mind.

"Lucky guess," she said distastefully, "but that doesn't prove anything."

"But I was paying attention," I whined. Misty hates it when I whine, but that's just all the more reason to do so, she looks so cute when she's annoyed.

"Really?" she asked disbelieving in a bored tone. "Then why don't we just take a lil' ole squiz at your notes."

I looked down at my page and hoped to god that I wasn't blushing at the words I had absentmindedly scrawled across my page. Misty Kasumi Ketchum, Mrs. M Ketchum, Misty and Ashton Satoshi Ketchum, Mrs. Misty Ketchum, Misty Kasumi Waterflower Ketchum, Misty K. Ketchum Waterflower, Mrs. M. K. Ketchum Waterflower.

"Fine," I said looking up and hiding my notes. "You win, I wasn't listening."

Misty smiled smugly.

"So what's the plan?" I asked.

"Well that's why I was trying to get your attention genius," she sneered still gorgeous as ever.

"Well lets get started then," I said a slight edge in my voice as it came out much louder than I had intended it to.

"Fine then."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine," I said again my voice getting louder. I'm not sure why, I didn't even think I was angry, I guess I was just caught up in the heat of the moment.

"Fine," she echoed her eyes flaring dangerously and her red hair much redder than usual. She sure is beautiful when she's angry.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"FINE."

"FINE!"

Brock Slate walked in stopping at least the yelling part of the squabble. He's one of our fellow spies and kind of like an older brother to Misty and I.

"Is everything ok? I . . ." Brock asked trailing off as he recognized Misty and I standing opposite each other in fighting stances.

We barely acknowledge his presence with a nod and just continued to focus on one another.

"Oh its only you two," he laughed. "Gee, I thought someone might have been hurt or something with all the yelling that was going on in here."

We both turned and refocused our glares on Brock.

Brock chuckled to himself. "You know if I didn't know any better I'd swear you guys hated each other."

"And what's that supposed to mean Slate?" she asked angrily pronouncing the last words distastefully her trademark Waterflower glare spreading across her perfect features. Misty always reverted to last names when she was really angry as if she didn't want to dignify them by using their first. I've been called Ketchum on more than one occasion but I think that after a while she just got lazy and started sticking with Ash no matter how angry I got her.

"N-n-nothing Misty," Brock stuttered nervously backing away slowly. "No sudden movements," he muttered quietly to himself.

Misty either didn't notice or was far too caught up in her yelling to care.

"It better be," she snarled.

I couldn't help but laugh, sure Misty could be terrifying but I never really thought she was that bad. It was positively halairious, I mean, Brock, a 21-year-old _guy_ cowering from Misty and using his clip board as means of protection.

"And what are you laughing at?" she asked haughtily. It seemed all her anger towards Brock had suddenly been refocused on me.

"Don't worry Myst, I wasn't laughing at you."

"Then what?" she asked her eyebrows raised suspiciously.

"Him," I said hiking my thumb in Brocks direction. "He's 21, over 6ft tall, well armed and a guy and he's cowering from you unarmed, 17 ½ and practically harmless."

"Oh," Misty replied carefully placing her mallet back in her bag. Brock ran out of the room while her back was turned.

"Now what were we talking about before Brock so rudely interrupted us," I said jokingly in an aristocratic accent.

Misty giggled. "The way I remember things we weren't exactly talking," she laughed.

It was strange how Misty and I could be at each other's throats one minute then just be like this the next. Just best friends, no yelling or screaming, just the two of us joking around like nothing had even happened.

"So how do we get past the guards this time?" I ask trying to distinguish the different ways that we usually use. "We may need more than our basic ass kicking skills to penetrate them this time."

"What makes you think they've learnt their lesson?" she asked.

"Because, its how we've gotten in the last ten times," I told her. "I figure there's at least one person in Team Rocket with half a brain."

"I don't," she replied, "but seeing as you insist, how about we put them on ice."

"Not going to work this time," I told her. "Its already too warm, they'll thaw too quickly."

"I guess," she said. "Anyway, you said Lapras wasn't feeling well, Vaporeon can't do twenty guards on her own."

"What makes you say twenty?" I asked. Misty and I had this sort of bet going on for each mission where we bet on how many guards we would have to beat this time. The winner's prize was to have the loser as their slave for a day. Misty was my slave last week.

She shrugged. "Just call it a hunch," she said with a sly smile.

"You know using psychic Pokemon is against the rules," I replied. "And Psyduck counts."

"Are you accusing me of cheating Mr. Ketchum?" she asked eyes wide with mock shock.

"I wouldn't be standing upright if I was."

"Then I'll take that as a no," she smiled. "So ideas?

"Sleeping powder I guess," I said shrugging my shoulders.

"Uh-uh," she said shaking her head, her copper hair brushing lightly across her bare shoulders. "I heard rumors that they've discovered how to protect themselves from your Pokemons unique form of sleep powder. It's too risky Ash."

It's strange the things you notice. I'm supposed to be sitting here working out a plan for stopping Team Rocket yet again, yet all I can think about is how beautiful my name sounds when she says it.

I nodded thoughtfully trying to look like I was thinking about what she had said and trying to devise a plan, not the sound of her harmonic voice whispering my name in my head and how I could make her say it again.

"I've got it," she said so suddenly I felt myself jump noticeably

"What?" I asked.

"Hypnosis," she said proudly. "It's flawless, it's not like anyone in Team Rocket has a mind strong enough to fight it. I'll use Togepei you can use Hypno. It's so simple I'm surprised we never used it before."

"You know," I said as a second idea came to mind. "Maybe we could hypnotize them into believing that Team Rocket didn't exist."

"I was just going to make them cluck like chickens, but that'll work," she said with a smile.

"So what's the deal this time anyway?" I asked.

"Team Rocket have kidnapped some of the best Scientists in the country," she told him. "We're not sure of all the details but they're in grave danger and they're working on some kind of machine or drug or microchip to turn Pokemon against their masters. It's said to be irreversible."

I cringed. "So your saying that if we mess this up, we're in deep shit and not just with the boss."

Misty nodded. "We have to get rid of anything even remotely linked to any research or practical work going on in those labs and we have to make sure that it never gets past a prototype, and that's worst case scenario."

Suddenly a small yellow Pokemon in the chair between Misty and I woke up diverting our attention slightly from our 'impending doom'.

"Finally Pikachu," I said. "How in gods name did you manage to sleep 24hrs straight without feeling hungry?"

Misty replied before Pikachu got the chance. "Maybe unlike his master, Pikachu doesn't live for his stomach."

"I do not," I replied crossing my arms over my chest and getting ready for another round of verbal abuse from both sides.

Misty smiled coyly. You never quite knew what would happen next with Misty. She had a short fuse, but that didn't mean she always blew up in your face. Most of the time she was cool, calm, witty and malicious and that was when you should be most afraid, be very afraid.

"Well you better rest Ash. We don't want you daydreaming in the middle of our mission, do we Pikachu?" she asked reaching down to stroke the Pokemon who curled into her touch. "Come with me Pikachu and I'll get you recharged. I'll wake you up at seven, k?" she finished as she bent low so Pikachu could jump onto her shoulder and walked out the room.

_'How am I ever supposed to get to sleep now?'_ I wondered to myself as I walked to my room. _'If I try to get to sleep, I'll think about her and won't be able to stop. If I actually get to sleep, which by the way is quite unlikely, I'll dream of her. And when I wake up she'll be the first person I'll see, which is probably the main reason I can't get to sleep in the first place.'_

Actually, that doesn't sound too bad.

Surprisingly, I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow. A sleep haunted by images of a certain redhead.

End of Part I

Voila! This is of course the first chapter done of what shall be referred to as Spy Games because I'm far too lazy to write out the whole title, or copy and paste it from the title. Fuck, I am lazy.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed and it wasn't as dreadful as I suspected this being my first attempt at the 'Mission Impossible' type story, Misty of course being said impossible mission.

Please review.


	2. Part II

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon. By the way, this story is rated PG-13 for language and stuff, however most of this is outside of the actual fic, therefore if you don't read either the authors note I occasionally put at the beginning or the thing I write at the end you should be ok.

Ages:

Ash – 18

Misty – 17½

Brock – 21

Karate, Kung Fu and Forty-Seven Other Dangerous Words

(or 'Spy Games')

**Part II**

"Misty."

"Ash. You've got to help me. Please, I can't make it on my own."

"Don't worry Misty, I won't leave you. I promise."

"I don't think I can do this without you."

"And you won't have to."

19.00

"Ash, wake up," I heard a soft gentle voice whisper next to my ear.

I figured I must have still been dreaming, it sounded like Misty and I could almost picture her angelic face near mine, feel her warm breath on the back of my neck.

I stirred slightly trying to find my way back to this marvelous dream.

"He's not waking up," I heard Misty say from somewhere beyond my lack of consciousness. "Oh well," she sighed almost evily, "Pikachu?"

That's when I knew that I wasn't dreaming any more, dream Misty's were so much nicer than the real thing. But I love her for it and I wouldn't want her any other way.

"Pikachupi pikapi cha?" ((Misty he's awake?)) Pikachu asked in its confusion.

"No. He's not," Misty said warningly giving Pikachu a look that dared it to defy her.

"Pika," ((ok)) he replied stepping back and waving his hands in front of his face to protect himself. He knew Misty far to well to argue, she could do more damage with that mallet of hers than he could with a thunder bolt.

"Pikachuu!"

I woke up just as Pikachu let out his best thunderbolt. Pikachu ran to hide behind Misty as he realized what he had done while Misty just stood there making no attempt to hide or hold back her fit of giggles.

"Thanks for waking me," I said blowing out a puff of smoke. I immediately fell back down on the bed.

Misty couldn't control herself any longer and clutched her stomach bursting out laughing at my expense.

She has one of the most angelic laughs I'll ever hear and I almost love her laugh a part form the fact that it's usually aimed at me. I quickly got back up before Misty got the chance to use her Vulpex, just for fun.

"You didn't have to fry me," I told her trying my best to glare at her and be angry. It was hard but I've had enough practice to get it right.

"Yes I did," Misty replied happily. "This is the funniest thing that's happened all day."

"Then you must have had a very boring day. See how much you miss me."

Misty poked out her tongue and turned her nose up at me. "Hurry up, we've got to go prepare," she said heading out the door. She then turned back and looked me up and down. "And for goodness sakes Ash, put some pants on."

I blushed bright red and pulled my duvet around my waist. She giggled again as she walked out the door and shut it after her.

Pikachu looked up at my red face and began to laugh rolling across the floor clutching his stomach. Does anyone else get the feeling that Pikachu spends way too much time with Misty?

"Thanks pal," I sighed.

"Pikachupi chu ka pichupi pika chu ka," ((she likes you too you know)) Pikachu said suddenly becoming more serious.

"Sure," I replied rolling my eyes. "A girl comes in here and totally unprovoked sets my own Pokemon on me when I least expect it because she's madly in love with me? I don't think so Pikachu."

Pikachu shrugged. "Pi chu pika pika chu," ((you should tell her)) the yellow mouse Pokemon insisted.

I shook my head insistently. "I can't do that," I told him. "You know I want to, you know that's all I've wanted to tell her for as long as I've known her, but it's against the rules."

"Pika pi chu ka pi," ((Rules are made to be broken)) he replied.

"Ash would you hurry up in there," I heard Misty yell through the door. "We've got to get to . . ."

I quickly pulled on my clothes and pulled the door open before she could finish her sentence.

" . . . dinner," she said. "Took your time didn't you?" she said eyebrow raised waiting for an explanation.

"You're one to talk," I mocked.

"At least I have something to show for all that time and effort," she said waving her hand across my clothes distastefully.

I'd thrown on the first thing I could find which happened to be an old pair of jeans with grass stains on the knees and a gray shirt with remains of something unrecognizable on it – probably last Friday's lunch.

"And we sure as hell can tell how much effort went into that," I replied sweetly. "Remember, I've seen you before ten."

Misty glared at me and poked me in the ribs with her elbow before walking away.

It hurt even though she wasn't trying to injure me, after all she had been trained to take down guys twice her size with a single blow, of course it was going to hurt even if it wasn't intentional.

"Oh c'mon Myst," I said catching up to her. "You know I think you're gorgeous."

I blushed the moment the words came out of my mouth but quickly covered it hoping she wouldn't notice.

She looked back at me with something that looked a lot like hope shining in her eyes.

"I mean," I started placing my hand behind me head like I often did when I got nervous or embarrassed, "even without the make up."

Misty's eyes hardened shooting arrows at me.

"So Miss. Waterflower," I offered hoping to take the focus onto something else, "may I escort you to dinner?"

"Don't flatter yourself Ash," she sighed rolling her eyes but at least I could now see a smile tugging on the corners of her lips. I could tell she was trying to stay angry but she was struggling. "And I'll have you know that the only make up I wear is lipstick and eye shadow."

"And I honestly believe you," I said trying to match her step. "So what's for dinner?"

"Do you ever think about anything but food?" she asked.

"Course not," I replied. "So what's for dinner?"

"Slopey Joes, I think," she answered. "But I wouldn't go by my guess."

I shook my head disapprovingly. "We've got a world class chef and we're eating slopey joes. Doesn't that just seem wrong?"

"Whatever," she scoffed. "Knowing you as well as I do being the one stuck as your partner for four years, I bet you were the one who requested them."

"Who told?" I said jokingly. Yeah ok, I admit it, I requested the slopey joes but if anyone tells Misty I'm dead. At least this dampens her suspicion.

"So when do we leave for the M-I-S-S-I-O-N?" I asked as if it were some code that no one else could figure out.

"Ash I know Team Rocket are dumb, but I'm sure the can figure out a simple seven letter word. I heard something last week saying that some of them have even passed 'Hooked on Phonics 2'," she told me, her sarcasm almost dripping with laughter. "And if the real reason for this sudden grasp of spelling is to try and impress me with your intelligence, I think you missed an 's'."

I stopped trying to think back to what I had said counting out the seven letters on my hand. Misty just continued without me giggling to her self.

Why do I always believe every word she says?

"I got both of them," I called after her defiantly as I caught up to her.

She just continued to laugh at my expense, like she always did.

"So," I asked huskily lowering my voice so only she could hear it, "are you impressed?"

She laughed again and shoved me away playfully. "Definitely," she said mimicking my husky tone as she struggled to sound seductive in between her giggles. "I want you, I need you, oh baby, oh baby."

"I knew it all along," I said grabbing her waist and sweeping her into my arms then over my shoulder like a rag doll. "Come Jane, we eat now."

Misty laughed again, that beautiful laugh that sounded like a choir of angels singing. See, she didn't always laugh at me, actually most of the time she's laughing with me just like now. That's when she's the most beautiful to me.

"Wrong way Tarzan," she giggled pretending to struggle and beat my shoulder as we headed to the right.

"Me know that," I replied. "Tarzan just testing Jane."

"Then could you test a bit quicker? Jane here's getting a little hungry and uncomfortable. And while you're taking requests, do you mind not carrying me over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes?"

I stopped to pull her around so she was sitting in my arms with her arms wrapped around my neck to stop her self from falling.

I felt my pulse quicken and my breath catch in my throat. She was so close right now I swear I could almost feel her heart beating next to mine and I promise you that it was going just as fast as mine. But then I guess that's wishful thinking.

"Better?" I managed to ask through the lump in my throat.

"Much," she replied in a tone, which sounded almost breathless. "Now chop, chop or there will be nothing stopping me from using that new hold AJ taught me today, on you."

It was strange, her voice sounded much perkier than usual, almost forced upon her natural tone. But then maybe I'm just the optimist and the glass isn't quite as full as you might think.

AJ is our martial arts trainer, he taught us the essentials that we need to know to kick Team Rockets ass. We know everything from Judo and Kickboxing to Kung Fu and Karate. And of course Tai Bo especially for our female operatives, not like Misty needs it.

I chuckled. "Did you know that for every hold that AJ teaches you he teaches me the necessary defences needed to get out of them?" I told her. "It's almost as if he knows that you plan to use them against me whenever you fancy hurting someone and I'm the first available target."

"That only happened like four times," she said, "and none of them were my fault. All four times you did something to annoy me and as luck would have it I just so happened to have forgotten them so we can't discuss this into any further detail."

"Good thing I remembered them," I told her. "One time it was because that Brock stole your diary and you thought it was me."

"Excuse me, how was I supposed to know it wasn't you?" she asked in an effort to defend herself. "You were the most obvious suspect especially seeing as I had put chillies in your dinner the week before."

"The second was because I had hidden your diary and I thought you wouldn't suspect me because you already thought I had."

"Ok," she said, "let's just say were even."

"But I had so many more interesting stories to tell you," I whined.

"Too bad," she laughed.

"C'mon Myst," I said as I pushed the door open to the dining room.

Brock and Tracey and almost everyone else in the room openly stared at us as we walked into the large dinning room. Well actually I walked in Misty kind of just sat in my arms but you knew what I meant. At first I was confused as to why they were looking at us like that but then I caught a glance in one of the dinning rooms many reflective surfaces and, excuse the pun, but it was perfectly clear.

You see, it wasn't really until then that I realized the exact depth of the situation I had put myself and Misty in. Sure I knew how close we were, how could I forget? I was savouring every moment I felt her body next to mine, but I don't think I realized that there were other people around and that they could actually see us.

No I did not think we were invisible, I was just so caught up in Misty (as always) that I didn't realize there was anyone else at all.

My arms were wrapped around her waist and legs drawing her as close as I could to my own body without making it look like I was doing so on purpose. Her arms were draped around my neck and her head resting against my chest as though it were the most natural thing to do. At least it was against my chest until we were sprung by a room full of secret agents and other member of a highly organized, top secret international association.

Damn you Brock and Tracey. Damn you for having such stupid names.

We had just walked into that room like it was no big deal. Looking back we almost looked like a couple of newly weds stepping over the threshold for the first time, but we had walked into that room like it didn't matter, like it was a normal everyday thing that people like us did to keep ourselves entertained.

But then people started staring. I mean not all of them, not everybody in this place has lives that are so dull that they have nothing better to do all day then stare at me and Myst and make us feel like a couple of freaks. No, some of them looked like they were a hell of a lot more interested in eating their food, something I would have preferred to be doing right at that moment.

I slowly lowered Misty back to the ground and I could see that she was blushing quite noticeably. I wasn't surprised; I dreaded to see how red my own cheeks were at the time but presumed they were at least as red as hers.

"Care to explain guys?" Brock asked suggestively almost knowingly.

'_He doesn't know,'_ I tried to convince myself eyeing Brock suspiciously. '_Does he?'_

"Oh shut up Slate," Misty said angrily. "I'm still not finished with you from that incident this afternoon so I think it would be much more obliging to your health and mine if you just shut up and left me alone."

With that she stalked away and went to get her food.

Tracey snickered and looked as though he were about to comment. I stopped him before he could.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you Trace," I told him. "Misty has enough blackmail on you to last her through to the next millennium and I only know half of it."

Tracey gaped then shut his mouth suddenly looking away not daring to meet my eye.

Ok, so I lied a little, who could blame me? Misty only told me a little bit of her blackmail after I begged her for a whole month and what she told me wasn't even that juicy. This sure as hell got me interested in what the rest of it was about.

But it shut him up so I was happy. I smiled as I walked over to Misty where she was taking her food.

"So, did they say anything?" she asked nervously.

I looked at her oddly but tried to cover it. I couldn't quite understand what she had to be nervous about. She wasn't the one that they were going to be teasing for the next month about all his feelings towards Misty or her feelings towards me.

They say that it's completely obvious but then how come Misty doesn't see. Is she as dense as she says I am? Or maybe she does see and she chooses to ignore it. My smile suddenly turned fake and threatened to fault any second now.

But then, they all just think it's a crush, something that couldn't be helped after the years we spent together side by side. But they were wrong. This wasn't just a crush; it was love and so much more. It was inevitable.

"Nothing," I replied nonchalantly, "I told Tracey I knew all his secrets and suddenly he didn't seem so keen on speaking."

"But you don't," she replied, "all I told you was that thing about the pictures of Professor Oaks granddaughter in his sketchbook and the only person who doesn't know about them is Oak."

"Yeah, but he doesn't know that," Ash replied.

Misty giggled. "So did you get enough sleep?" she asked a slight note of concern in her voice.

It was strange how things just suddenly got so awkward. It seemed the question was just there to fill in the silence, but I didn't mind silence because it was never completely silent. When it was quiet I could just sit there and listen to Misty breathe in and out and know she was safe and alive.

"I think so," I replied, "too bad if I'm not. We're leaving at 12 on the dot whether I'm ready or not."

"You slept five hours straight without waking up once," she replied. "If you're not well rested then I better head to bed now."

"I think I'm good," I told her.

I didn't want her to leave; I wanted her to stay right here with me. I never really wanted her to leave, especially when I told her to leave.

I guess I just felt kind of different when Misty was with me. I always felt stronger, braver, and more significant. I felt like a superhero, as if I could leap tall buildings in a single bound, like I could lift two thousand tonne jumbo jets, like I could run faster than a speeding bullet.

I remember this saying, my mom used to tell me it all the time and it was by a man called Lao Tzu. He once said "To love someone deeply gives you strength; being loved deeply, gives you courage." I know I can definitely vouch for the first part.

I felt as though I could fly.

When I was with Misty I felt free. I felt as though I could just be myself; that I didn't have to play a part. I felt as if the weight of the world had been taken from me, as if all that was left was plain old ordinary Ash Ketchum; no secret organization, no worries but those for her.

I felt as if it was the only time I could really just be me and that she wouldn't run away because of it. She knew the real me that no one else had even come close to knowing and she still liked me for it.

No wonder I didn't want her to leave.

We sat down at the table with Tracey and Brock. Misty glared at the two almost daring them to speak like she often did.

Brock and Tracey almost seemed to shrink back. Tracey still didn't dare to meet mine or Misty's eyes and his nervously seemed to plead us not to tell as they occasionally darted in the direction of Professor Oak.

Professor Oak was one of those absentminded mad scientists. He always wore his hair at odd angles and searched for the glasses seated on top of his head. He was the guy who gave us all the secret weapons and devised most of the schemes.

Which reminds me, we have a meeting after dinner to finish organization for tonight's operation.

"Hey there," Professor Oak said as he came up to our table jarring me from my thoughts, which were obviously on Misty. "I hope I'm not interrupting your dinner, but I'd like to show you something quite miraculous."

"No, now is fine," I said suddenly aware of my untouched plate of food. It wasn't like I was going to be able to eat much anyway; the millions of tiny butterfree in my stomach had put me off my food long before anything else had the chance.

"Come," he said to Misty and myself, as we followed behind him in the direction of his lab. "I'll introduce you to my latest invention."

As we walked into the spacious laboratory our eyes were immediately drawn to the object in the middle of the room. Professor Oak's grin broadened as he saw Misty and my own eyes widened just from looking at his invention.

"What is it?" I asked awestruck.

"This," Professor said in a nonchalant tone despite the permanent smile on his face and the light in his eyes. "This is the answer to all your prayers."

End of Part II

Yay, done! Guess now all I have to do is go write part three. Wish me luck and review in order to convey such luck. Unfortunately, I am not psychic and thus I cannot receive any telepathic wishes of luck or anything else.

Damn, wish I was psychic, I mean instead of the obvious psycho.

Review!


	3. Part III

Disclaimer – I'm not entirely certain about the Pokemon thing but I can guarantee that I don't own much else for that matter. Trimewtant and Catamoran are mine too even though they won't feature in this story.

Now on with the story.

Karate, Kung Fu and Forty-Seven Other Dangerous Words

**Part III**

'I'm told loving you is my biggest mistake, but how can it be so wrong when it feels so damn right? If I ever I made a mistake, its not that I love you, it's thinking that someday, maybe you'll love me too . . .'

I sighed as this thought flowed through my head and my gaze fell on the angel that I was lucky enough to spend each and ever waking moment with. The angel that I wished I could spend forever with. The angel that I got up for each morning and the angel I lived each and every day, every moment for.

"Are you ok Ash?" she asked turning towards me.

I quickly tried to cover the fact that I was staring at her, just like I always was, but I couldn't help it. She was just so beautiful, I dare not take my eyes off her for more than a minute just in case she disappeared.

"Just thinking about something," I told her nonchalantly with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Got lost again?" she asked cocking her head to the side and sending me a good-natured lopsided grin.

I smiled back. This was a long running joke between Misty and I, most things were and that was the main reason why we rarely got angry at each other. Most of our squabbles are just for fun even when we're yelling our heads off at each other.

"Maybe you could lend me a map next time," I suggested sending her a lopsided smile of my own.

"And what are the chances of me getting it back?" she asked hands on hips and her lips pursed in mock irritation. "You know you still owe me a bike Spy-boy," she told me teasingly.

"I'll get round to it," I told her. "Eventually."

"That's a very comforting thought," Misty sighed sarcastically, "especially seeing as Professor Oak put you in charge and I'm the one who has to trust your sense of direction through the labyrinth known as team rocket head quarters."

Speaking of Professor Oak, you're probably all wondering what that little trinket Professor Oak was showing us was, so here it is the condensed slightly less explictic version. All I can say is that I had to miss out a few words here and there in Misty's dialogue.

"What is it?" I asked awestruck.

"This," Professor said in a nonchalant tone despite the permanent smile on his face and the light in his eyes. "This is the answer to all your prayers."

"But what is it?" Misty insisted taking in the strange looking object from every angle and studying it as if she expected it to answer the question all by it's self by some miraculous power Professor Oak had given his odd invention.

"It's quite an amazing thing," Professor Oak continued barely registering her question. "You see you put the powder in here and in a matter of seconds it comes out the other end as coffee."

Our mouths literally dropped to the floor as we stared at the Professor disbelievingly.

Misty was the first to speak up. "So basically your saying that it's a coffee maker?" she asked staring at the thing and praying it wasn't true.

"Why yes," he said sounding quite pleased with himself. "That's exactly what it is, a coffee maker." He noted down Misty's words on a piece of paper covered in messy scrawls. It was probably a list of possible names for the strange looking invention including 'thingy-ma-jig' and 'watcha-ma-callit'.

"I'm sorry Professor," I told him, "but I think it's already been done."

"It has?" he asked looking at me with a mixture of shock and disappointment on his face making me wish I hadn't had to be the one to burst his bubble.

"What has this got to do with Team Rocket?" Misty asked ignoring what had just been said and still staring at the invention with great interest.

"Who said anything about Team Rocket?" he asked.

"You said it was the answer to all our prayers," she told him.

"Exactly," he smiled. "Haven't you always wanted something that could make coffee in mere seconds?"

"Not really," I replied.

"Oh," he said. "Actually while you're here I can show you the new weapons that I created. I'm sure they would be very useful tonight."

Misty and I fell to the floor in exasperation. It seemed quite amazing how this man, a genius at his worst, could be so utterly and completely clueless.

I could tell Misty was thinking the same thing.

"So what are they, Professor?" Misty asked probably hoping he wasn't just playing with her curiosity and working her up for an ingeniously new coffee cup.

"Why they're specially powered lazers that put people to sleep," he told them. "See I remembered how Misty felt about hurting people and such even though they may be evil so I devised these so you would only put them into an unconscious state."

"But Professor, Misty likes hurting people," I told him. "Why else do you think she hangs around me so often?" I turned to Misty sending her a lopsided grin, which in return just gained me a glimpse of her tongue poking out in my general direction.

"I always presumed it was because she liked you," the professor said as if confused by the question. As if I was supposed to already know that, like it was the most natural and blatantly obvious thing about the weird friendship thing we had going on.

Almost as if everyone knew it but me.

I didn't dare look at Misty, I just kept my eyes down staring at the floor hoping she wouldn't see the blush that was creeping onto my cheeks.

'_He didn't mean it like that,'_ I tried to reason with myself. '_What he meant was that we're friends and that's why she hangs out with me. Yeah, that's exactly what he meant and I'm just imagining the fact that Misty's blushing too.'_

"Can we go try these things out? You know practice our aim," Misty suggested in what seemed almost like a desperate attempt to change the subject.

But I disregarded that, just like I always did. I'd learnt too many times not to put all my hope into such things.

"Sure, I insist but be sure to aim for the head," he said. "You'll get the best result that way."

"Ok," Misty said picking up one of the guns naturally liking the feel of it in her arms.

The guns seemed to have been designed specially for us, as if to the style we liked best.

Misty's was a much more delicate style and smaller as well as being lighter and less showy on the outside though when it got to work it was like a light show shining a crystal blue colour which Misty immediately loved. Mine was bigger, heavy and looked more like a machine gun than a laser, it was the sort of thing that was designed to be more scary than practical. It got the job done just as well as Misty's, just didn't have the same whimsical quality.

They seemed to match our own personalities. Misty the delicate, beautiful proper one who you wouldn't expect to be the fighting machine she turned out to be and loved to show off. Me the tall, scary looking one who likes to just get the job done without the brilliant show of talent Misty liked to turn it into.

"These things are great," Misty said bringing me from my thoughts and back to the present where we were having target practice. "I mean when he showed it to me I thought they were going to be one of those cartoon guns that shoot out a little flag that says bang when you push the trigger, but they're great. They don't even look like lasers which mean we have the advantage of surprise."

Ok, so maybe not an ingenious coffee cup but that's what I thought it was. It's not like I can read Misty's mind, if I could I'd probably be scared out of my wits.

"Team Rocket ain't gonna know what hit 'em," I agreed practicing my aim on the target ahead of me.

"You must be a little out of it," Misty told me. I looked at her confused urging her for an explanation. "Look at the target, you usually get dead on what your shooting for," she told him looking at me with a concerned look.

"Where's the hole?" I asked hoping my aim wasn't that bad I had significantly missed my own target.

"In mine," she told me.

She gestured casually to the man sized target where my beam had hit hers . . . right through the heart.

It seemed almost symbolic or maybe even poetic, the way it had turned out that I had caught Misty's heart instead of my own, but then I figured I was probably just reading too much into nothing. I mean honestly, it was just a bad shot – a really, really bad shot - it didn't mean a thing, did it?

"What is up with you today?" she asked shaking her head as she walked up and brushed the back of her hand against my forehead.

Of course I immediately turned just about as red as a lobster and my face heated up, which she immediately presumed was the signs of a fever. It probably didn't help that she got that much closer to take a better look at me.

"I'm fine," I assured her. "I just wasn't paying much attention."

"You better be Ketchum," she replied suddenly switching from the caring, compassionate Misty to the terminator Misty I had learnt to love just as much as the prior. "We've only got one chance at this and I'm not blowing a mission just because you feel a little sick."

"Can't ruin our record can we?" I asked with a smile. "Four years and no short comings yet."

"Except for my partner," she replied shrewdly smiling innocently at me.

"Not my fault you're high maintenance," I answered as if I was making any sense to either of us.

She quickly returned that with her own comeback giving me one of 'those' looks. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a remark Ketchum," she – as ironic as it seems – remarked snidely but in light of what happened the last time I risked insinuating she was wrong I figured it was best not to mention such a fact to her face.

"Now if you don't mind," she continued in mock haughtiness smiling as she held back a giggle, "I'm going to go get some combat practice with AJ and let you work on your aim."

"Good luck," I replied with a shrug not daring to say what I really wanted to tell her.

'_It's not my aim that's the problem,'_ I thought my eyes flitting to that little man shape quickly before staring longingly at her retreating figure. '_It's the target that I'm having the problems with.'_

And so with my main distraction out of the room, I did exactly what she told me to do as I tried to remember why I even needed the practice anyway. From that point on wards all shots were dead on, clearly my mind had been on far more important matters at the time.

"Pikachu," ((Could you be anymore whipped?)) my Pokemon partner muttered shaking his tiny yellow head with mock disapproval.

"Like you can talk," I hissed back not taking my eyes off my target. The way he waits hand and foot around Amber is really just plain shameful. I'm almost ashamed to admit that this sorry excuse for a male is my Pokemon.

I probably would be ashamed if it weren't for the fact that Pikachu was right. I wasn't even mildly opposed to the thought of answering to Misty's beck and call, and if I was, it would certainly be news to me.

So I guess being in love with Misty really isn't that bad. I mean if I was truly honest with you, there isn't anything I would rather do.

There's this one song that always seemed to come to mind when thoughts of Misty float through my head, which is probably a lot more often then you would think (unless of course you think that it would be every minute of every day then you'd probably be right).

I smiled as I sung lowly to myself closing my eyes so that I could see her smiling face singing along with me.

"Cause I am hanging on every word you say,

And even if you don't want to speak tonight

That's alright, alright with me

Cause I want nothing more

Than to sit outside Heaven's door

And listen to you breathing

It's where I wanna be . . ."

Perhaps if I had opened my eyes for a moment I would have noticed the figure standing beside the door smiling just how I pictured her and mouthing the words as I had always hoped she would.

– End of Part III –

I guess I'm sort of on a roll right now. This is the fourth story I've updated this week, aren't I doing well? Hope you liked it.

Now while you're all here, I'd like to send you towards my crossover fic More Than You Think You Are, which I feel to be sorely neglected.

Please review.


	4. Interlude

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon

Karate, Kung Fu and Forty-Seven Other Dangerous WordsInterlude

_Dear Diary,_

_I think that for the first time in my life, I have run out of words._

_My mind is a state of chaos and I feel like ripping the hair from my head.__There are thousands of complicated thoughts just swimming through my head and I can't find the words to describe a single one of them._

_And all I want to do right now is get it all on paper; perhaps so I can remember it forever, perhaps so I can make sense of it, I don't know, I just want to let it all out but the words will not come._

_I don't think there's ever been a time in my life where I've been lost for words, well except for the first time I laid eyes on him._

_I can still remember it all so vividly, almost as if it were a movie playing behind my eyes.__The way he took my hand in his gentle grasp and smiled that charming grin of his._

_I remember the way I felt as though I were the most important person on the planet, as if the mere idea of his gaze had elated me to such a high esteem.__I remember feeling as if there were nobody there but the two of us, and how I wished it were true._

_He was so beautiful, almost like angel or some other perfect, immortal being that one could not even begin to fathom.__He was like some kind of dream made reality, like every wish combined to create this one perfect creature._

_He was so genuine, so articulate.__His words were like silk floating whimsically through the air and entrancing all, and all I could do was stand there opening and closing my mouth while I tried to form words in my dry mouth._

_He was like some god, some untouchable hero of some sort, but completely down-to-earth and never in my life had I felt so inferior and yet so worthy all at the same time._

_It was such an odd feeling to be on top of the world and yet beneath it, but at the same time it was something that felt completely natural.__It was confusing, and still the only thing that made any sense.__He was perfect, and yet completely flawed._

_Within those few moments my whole life had been a matter of contradictions, of ups being down and rights being wrong; but at the same time, never had two things been so complimenting to each other._

_It was like yin and yang.__Two half's that combine to make the perfect whole and cannot exist alone without taking a little piece of its mirrored self with it._

_But here I go again, just rambling on about him once again._

_It's like I can't control myself.__It's as if I've become completely obsessed with him.__I wouldn't be surprised, I don't think a moment goes by where I don't think about him even if every thought isn't shared with you diary._

_But that's not what this is supposed to be about._

_This is about the most beautiful sound that I have and most likely will ever hear._

_It's about a voice that makes the birds envious.__A voice that seemed to take a life of its own, caressing my heart and speaking to it in ways I had never thought possible._

_I could have stood there forever just wishing that it would never come to an end even if he never knew I was there._

_And he didn't of course.__I just couldn't let that happen._

_Because, if he knew I was there, he would know I was listening and from one look he would know it all.__He would know every thought that went through my mind as I listened to a voice like silk enveloping me in a gentle blanket._

_He would know every thought that ever passed my mind and that every single one of them was of him.__He would know every word written in this diary by heart and he would know every one I feared to speak because of what I'm so sure I would loose.__He would know every sentiment engraved to my soul, every cherished feeling that filled my heart when I saw him._

_He would know why I smiled when he entered the room or why my cheeks grew warm when he spoke my name.__He would know that my knees grew week every time he looked at me.__He would understand the overpowering thumping sound of my heart whenever he smiled and why it accelerated whenever he was near._

_He would know that I loved him and he would know that I have loved him for almost as long as I have known him.__He would know that I dream of his kisses at night, that when I'm in a particularly sentimental mood I like to write out my name over and over again with his last name just trying to figure out the perfect way to say it, and that sometimes, when he's not looking of course, I will stare at him for as long as possible trying to memorise every possible feature of his face._

_And if he knew all that, well . . . I just don't know what I'd do if he did._

_I don't think I could stand it, because I guess after the knowing comes the part where he tells me in the nicest possible way that he doesn't have any feelings for me and that he never could._

_Ok, I know you probably think I'm being pessimistic and I guess some people would see it that way, but I'm not.__I'm just being realistic._

_I used to be optimistic, really.__I used to make up imaginary scenarios in my head of how he would confess his love for me and wait for the same circumstances to develop in reality._

_But that was a long time ago.__That was when I was some silly naïve little girl.__I'm not that same girl anymore, in this line of work, you can't be._

_It doesn't pay to believe the world is all sunshine, puppies and lollipops in this darn age – people like that usually get killed.__In a job like this you can't help but see the darker side of humanity, the darker side of life and things start to get grey.__It gets harder to see the light and eventually all that's left are those grey areas somewhere between right and wrong._

_So I guess I've grown up during my time here at Excalibur.__I'm not that same girl I was when I first came here, and I guess mostly they've changed me for the better.__I'm stronger, faster and I can put together a riffle in less than thirty seconds.__But part of me will always miss that little girl._

_I got into this business by accident, much like many of my colleagues.__I don't think there's anyone here who really meant to get into the spy industry._

_I kind of 'stumbled' across the base in search for my missing Pokemon and next thing I know I'm a spy.__It's weird how these things work out.__One minute I'm just an ordinary girl, next thing I know I'm the International Woman of Mystery._

_Now don't get me wrong, I'm glad things worked out this way.__If it weren't for my fortunate accident – my serendipity – then I never would have met him and now that I have I couldn't possibly imagine life without him._

_He's everything that makes my life worthwhile.__Without him I think I'd be lost.__He's the reason for everything I do and if it weren't for him I may not even be alive today._

_He means more to me than you could ever possibly imagine, more than I even truly know myself.__And I love him like I've never loved anything else before._

_It's strange how easily I can admit that here.__Those three words I can't bare to say to his face come so easily here that I wonder constantly what's holding me back._

_I love Ash Ketchum. See. That was easy._

_Sometimes I think that it's just so obvious, that I wonder why he doesn't know.__I mean, everybody else does – how could he not?__There are some days when I'm positively petrified to look him in the eye because I'm afraid of what he'll see if he looks close enough._

_I'm hopeless really._

_I fell so hard, and so fast, that by the time I realised what was happening it was too late.__But, I guess, if it had to be anyone, I'm glad it was him._

_Signed_

_Misty. K. Waterflower_

~ End of Interlude ~

Now we appear to be at the same point in this story which I guess means I should do some writing or something. This story is a bit harder than the others because I never actually decided where I wanted it to go, so now I'm going to have to think about it a bit.

Please review and read some of my other stuff.


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